Dinosaur Jr. - Fall Tour 2026 with special guest Stef Chura

Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. The group was founded by J Mascis on guitar and vocals, Lou Barlow on bass and vocals, and Murph on drums. Mascis was the primary songwriter.

After releasing three albums on independent labels, the band became known as one of the formative influences on American alternative rock. Creative tension led to Mascis firing Barlow, who went on to form Sebadoh and Folk Implosion. Mike Johnson replaced Barlow for three major-label albums.

Murph eventually quit, and Mascis took over drums on the band's albums before the group disbanded in 1997. The original lineup reformed in 2005 and released six albums after that. Mascis's drawling vocals and distinct guitar sound drew on 1960s and 1970s classic rock and made extensive use of feedback and distortion.

Before Dinosaur Jr., Mascis and Barlow played together in the hardcore punk band Deep Wound, formed in 1982 while both were attending high school in western Massachusetts. Deep Wound broke up in mid-1984. The band was initially named Mogo and played its first show on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus in the first week of September 1984.

The trio then named themselves Dinosaur, with Mascis and Barlow sharing lead vocal duties. Dinosaur recorded their debut album for $500 at a home studio in the woods outside Northampton, Massachusetts. Their debut album Dinosaur was released in 1985, with all songs written by Mascis.

It sold only about 1,500 copies in its first year. Sonic Youth invited Dinosaur to join them on tour in the American Northeast and northern Midwest in September 1986. Dinosaur recorded much of their second album, You're Living All Over Me, with Sonic Youth engineer Wharton Tiers in New York.